Occurrence ofRhytidodoides similisPrice, 1939 (Digenea: Rhytidodidae) and Lesions Due to Spirorchiid Eggs in a Green Turtle,Chelonia mydasLinnaeus, 1758 (Testudines, Cheloniidae), from Brazil

Abstract

This paper describes the first occurrence of Rhytidodoides similis Price, 1939, parasitizing a juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) found on the coast of Brazil. This parasite is known only from C. mydas, with previous reports of occurrences in the liver and gall bladder of green sea turtles found in the United States, Panama, and Costa Rica. In this case, no gross or microscopic lesions were found on the liver associated with R. similis. However, microscopic analysis of the liver revealed granulomas of trematode eggs consistent with spirorchiids.